Tuesday, July 19, 2011

For the Android users, some more trouble seems to be headed their way as it has been reported that more malware has been detected in the Android Market. The news is definitely not a bolt from the blue since only some time ago infected apps were pulled out from the Android Market and remotely wiped from the Android handsets by Google.

It would be great if Google could become more proactive about detecting these apps since so far it has only reacted to outside reports about the presence of malware in the Android Market. The malware appears to be an iteration of DroidDream Light and is present in apps which seem to have legitimate or similar names. The names of the malware app are Quick FallDown, Scientific Calculator, Bubble Buster and Best Compass & Leveler.

Around 1000 to 5000 such malware apps have been reportedly downloaded so far. The numbers seem to be controlled because the malware was not available in the Android Market for a long time. The malware makes the handsets visit certain web addresses, which are likely to be malicious and would be able to begin downloads as well.

These malware apps in the Android Market have been detected by Lookout Mobile Security which says the infected apps have come from mobile developer "MobNet".

The Lookout Mobile Security says in a blog post: "With the discovery of this new malware, it is more important than ever to pay attention to what you're downloading. Stay alert and ensure that you trust every app you download. As we uncover more details about DroidDream Light and related malware we'll keep you updated."

Couple of months back, Kaspersky had also come out with a report stating the problem of malware for Android was big since there were numerous Android devices which run outdated operating system versions and were vulnerable to malware apps.